Value for money is Training Synergy’s theme at Health Infomatics

At this year’s Health Informatics conference and exhibition, organised by the British Computer Society Health Informatics Forum and being held in Harrogate, from 20th to 22nd March, staff from Training Synergy - one of the UK’s largest training solutions providers - will be discussing how the company is meeting the demands for greater flexiblity, scaleability and value for money in today’s training workplace.

Training Synergy has considerable experience in training users in the application and use of new technology within the NHS.

David Field, a director at Training Synergy, commented: “The NHS has had both ‘training’ and ‘technology’ for many years but a number of recent initiatives – including the ‘Connecting for Health’ programme – is producing a huge increase in demand for IT skills among NHS staff at all levels.

“Moreover, with NHS staff operating under increasing pressure in a ‘local’ context, it is important that everyone appreciates the wider, strategic issues which require them to increase their degree of IT literacy. The key to success is communicating the huge benefits that can come from these advances in IT.

“That is why it is important that the training in IT skills is delivered by high quality, professional human beings, who can provide that perspective – rather than merely making IT information available remotely,” he added.

Training Synergy can vouch for the high quality of its trainers since, for the last year, Training Synergy has successfully operated its own accreditation programmes – STA and STA Project. These schemes are aimed at establishing, cementing and developing strong foundation training skills among all Training Synergy’s associate trainers.

Training Synergy’s STA Project programme has been mapped against the Institute of IT Training's defined skills framework to ensure it conforms to industry accepted best practice with regard to training practice. In addition - and innovatively - the STA Project programme not only delivers effective training skills to its students but also provides information on legislative, organisational and financial topics, showing them how to operate successfully as professional freelance trainers.

Field said: “Increasingly, we are finding that organisations are looking for cost-effective ways of delivering projects, including training. This is leading them to look at new, more flexible ways of resourcing training – contracting with suppliers of these resources for only what is needed, as and when it is needed.

“This is encouraging us to become a provider of a ‘virtual training force’ – a pool of highly competent trainers who provide training wherever and whenever it is needed. This gives the client confidence in dealing with a large, national, successful training provider such as Training Synergy, while also enjoying extreme flexibility and scaleability in the provision of those resources – which is also reflected in improved cost-effectiveness inf the training service.

“The key to success in running a virtual training force is having excellent logistical and contractual management with contractors and suppliers,” Field added. “This is where Training Synergy comes to the fore with its expertise gleaned from working on the UK’s largest IT infrastructure programmes.”

The theme of this year’s Health Informatics conference is 'Making the Difference' – reflecting the importance and commitment that the Government has given to the 'Connecting for Health' initiative in the NHS. More broadly, it challenges the discipline of Health Informatics to demonstrate its work in progress and to show its unique contribution and value to the healthcare domain.

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Notes for Editors:

About Training Synergy

With over 300 training personnel working on projects across the UK at any one time and a turnover in excess of £10m, Training Synergy is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of freelance IT trainers.

Training Synergy provides a range of training services to support all types and size of training programme, from initial consulting right through to project-managed implementation. It also provides logistics and logistical services to support clients’ ongoing training needs.

Training Synergy is part of the Synergy Group (formed in 1997 and now with an annual turnover of some £40m). Training Synergy has grown from £3m turnover in 2004 to £8m turnover in 2005. It delivers some 40,000 training days a year and has 7,000 trainers on its database.

Its clients include the Ministry of Defence, the National Health Service, IBM, EDS, Getronics, Unisys, Accenture and Atos.

Further Information from:
Daniel Hanlon / David Field, Synergy, 0800 072 5900 or 020 7556 1140 /1141
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 01727 860405
www.trainingsynergy.com